Between snoozes on the couch this afternoon, I did something rash. I engaged in a social media debate about a comment a popular pastor posted on Facebook. The conversation held two parts, whether or not Christians should expect joy in this life, and celebrating "Easter" with egg-hunting and gifts. I want to talk about the latter.
Christians, particularly American Christians, can be pretty opinionated about practically every subject, related or non-related, to the Christian walk. We have opinions on how to celebrate Christmas - with a tree or no tree, lavish gifts or service opportunities. We have opinions on Halloween - is it satanic or just a cultural thing? We have opinions on it all. Some of us hold our opinions so dear that we prefer our opinions over the people in our lives who may have different ones.
I'm using the word opinion because it is an important terminology. Sometime we find some facts, make a judgement based upon those facts and present that judgement as another fact. We have to be careful with this. An assessment of a fact does not make the assessment a fact. The reason for this is because our assessments are based on our perceptions, and those are the result of our culture and our experiences.
Here are two examples of how our assessment of things can change.
First, women used to wear a lot of clothing so as to not reveal their figure in public. Today, even the most modest women would be considered crude two hundred years ago. Yet, our perceptions (based on our culture) have been redefined. Is it crude for a woman to wear a modest ankle length dress today? No. In the 1700s, unless it was also accompanied by an under AND an outer garment, it would be - there were even laws about it (fact). The difference is cultural not factual.
What about new years eve? Most people in this world celebrate this holiday - without giving it a second thought. Did you know this is, in fact, a pagan holiday? The calendar actually didn't used to begin with January. It began during the vernal equinox in March. Julius Caesar changed it to begin with January (named for the god Janus) in 46 BC. The celebration of changing years began with pagan celebrations honoring the god of gates. The fact is this holiday is steeped in pagan tradition and is older than Christianity, but Christian still celebrate it as a simple passing from one year to the next. The difference is cultural not factual.
I could point out many other aspects of our modern society that, in fact, are rooted in pagan tradition. From the names of the months, to the days of the weeks, to the changing of the western sabbath to Sunday. The difference is not rooted in the facts, but the cultures in which these trends exist. From Holloween to the use of Easter in reference to the passover and resurrection, the importance should be placed on the heart. When I told my kids this morning, "Happy Easter" they knew instantly that I was referring to the celebration of our savior's resurrection. They gave zero thought to fertility gods and orgy festivals. When we hunt eggs, we typically teach that this represents the commission to "go into all the world" and bring lost sheep home.
The word of God tells us that man looks at the outward appearance, but that God judges the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). Through the apostle Paul we see that "whatever is not done from faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23). All throughout scripture we see God placing emphasis on our heart's motivation. In Psalm 51, David sings praise about God not delighting in sacrifice unless it comes from a broken and contrite heart. You can sin just as easily going to Church with wrong motives as you can, on the other side of the spectrum, be a witness by participating in an Easter egg hunt. We have to understand that, regardless of the historical facts we dig up, there is a cultural element that we have to be sensitive to. Paul said, "I was all things to all people that I might win some to Christ." And, before you start screaming "in the world, not of the world," pay attention to the life that Paul lived. He took part in culture without breaking God's moral law. He called this "freedom" and "grace." Not grace so that we can sin and abuse it, but grace so that we can effectively be a part of our culture in order to "win some for Christ." And while I may not be witnessing in my backyard, as I participate in this cultural tradition, my kids are learning about the commission and our obligation to the grace we have been given. Further, they have a cultural frame of reference to relate to and minister to their peers, both now and in the future. So, next time you argue about whether or not a Christian should participate or use the lingo, first judge the fruit of their lives and ask yourself if it's possibly your motive that may be wrong...
I'm sure this will ruffle feathers, and you do not have to agree with me. Maybe I'm wrong, and the Lord will reveal it to me. But as I study scripture, and seek to be closer to the heart of God, I find more and more emphasis on his grace and it's purpose in our lives as we seek to to the work he has laid before us. Let love be our aim - not a sense of self-righteousness or an ego-driven pursuit of correcting the "lesser brothers and sisters." In fact, Paul makes a strange reference to those under the law (keepers of the law) as being "weak." I think he said this because it take great strength to keep the motives of our heart in check. My purpose is to live and die on mission with Christ, and if this be my aim, my heart will be clean before the Father.
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